Soul Eater: Second Chances
by SirBoggles
Summary: After the defeat of the Kishin Asura, the world struggles to re-balance itself. Arachnophobia is losing it's grip on the populace, and only a few major facilities stand defiant. Our story begins in one such facility, with my OC characters Alexander, a "gifted" ex-meister, and Kaido, the offspring of the sword Masamune. What fate will befall them in the changing world...?
1. A Fallen Meister?

_A short time after the defeat of Asura, The DWMA launched an assault on the remaining Arachnophobia bases around the world. The goal was to simultaneously wipe out all traces of the organization, while minimalizing losses…_

 _Chapter 1- The Cursed Sword and His Owner: A Fallen Meister?_

"Damn…" a coarse voice muttered as an explosion rocked the earth around him. "Gotta get out…run…have to run!" the voice whispered to himself as he made strides down the lab-like hallways in front of him. Identical hallways led to identical corridors, and if the young male hadn't spent months here, he would have been hopelessly lost in his panicked escape. As it was, his special "gift" allowed him to avoid most of the combat, staying where it was quiet and no soul other than his own emitted sound. Suddenly, he stopped, slowly drawing the sword at his side; a katana, ruby red with a black handle with a glint that showed just how sharp it truly was. "Hey, what's up? You sense something?" a calm voice emitted from the sword. This was the man's weapon, and only friend. Known to history as Masamune, the weapon at his side was actually a long descendent of the original fabled sword. "Kaido…there's someone ahead…" the man wielding the sword muttered. Kaido, the soul in the form of a sword, appeared in the glint of the weapon. Long black hair tied back into a topknot that covered a smirking, sharply dressed man in a suit. A sharp jaw, strong build, and determined eyes made the sword a striking being. He cocked an eyebrow at his wielder and sardonically asked, "What? Scared of a little pest from the Academy? Come now, we've fought tougher."

The wielder frowned and readied his sword in a fighting posture, deciding not to reply. He edged forward, cautiously reaching out with his senses, trying to determine what made him feel so off. A soul brushed against his, followed by an intense wave of soul energy, setting off alarm bells within him, and he instinctively dropped to the floor. As soon as he dropped, a halberd sliced the air he had occupied moments ago. The man rolled forward with his drop, quickly bringing his sword up into his target. A splash of blood, a scream, and the soul quickly dropped in strength and "sound". The man rose, striding towards the downed warrior. "Alexander…what're you going to do? Kill him? We need to go…" Kaido spoke from his side. The downed academy student stared up at him, his eyes wide with fear. His weapon transformed before him, a woman in a leather coat with studded jeans. She took a defensive posture before her wounded Meister. Alexander readied his blade, preparing to slice down the foe, when he felt another soul encroach on his mind. One that was more powerful than the two before him. A…Death Scythe? Impossib-his train of thought was interrupted as the woman before him struck while he was distracted, slugging him across the right jaw. Alexander grimaced in pain and staggered, quickly recovering his composure and striking back, slicing the woman across the abdomen. She screamed and dropped to the ground, blood oozing from the wound. Alexander slowly walked towards them, staring vacantly at them. He clenched his gloved fist, then with two fatal slashes, the sound that plagued his mind vanished. He was in blessed silence again. Yet, before Alexander could make any further action, he felt the strong soul grow closer, and his senses were flooded by intense waves of screaming energy. This soul was strong, stronger than any he had felt before.

He heard another woman shout, "You! Servant of Arachne, surrender and we won't take your soul!" Alexander slowly turned around to see….a girl. No, a young woman, with blonde hair in pig tails, a long black overcoat over a sweater and skirt. She wielded a large scythe with a ruby red eye in the middle. Alexander had a realization, and Kaido voiced his concerns. "Crap…this isn't good….that's the newest Death Scythe…" Kaido mumbled aloud. Alexander slowly raised his sword, removing the spider mask he was forced to wear in the compound. The face revealed had piercing aquamarine eyes, with a red goatee and dark brown hair covering his head. He stared intently at his opponent, trying to read her. Figure out her next move. "Maka, let's just beat this guy and be done with it, the battle is won, we just need to get out of here now." The girl, Maka, nodded and gripped her scythe tighter. "Sure thing Soul, but first…we need to avenge the other students, you saw what he did to them…" Alexander gave a sarcastic smirk and said, "They attacked me. I had no quarrel with them, I just want to leave. Move, or I'll have to kill you too." Although his words were brave, he was scared. Could he really face a Death Scythe? And this girl…she unnerved him. Her green eyes seemed to stare directly into his core, as if it tried to unravel his being. Maka suddenly ran forward, flinging her scythe out ahead of her. Alexander responded quickly, deflecting the scythe with Kaido, then riposted immediately. The girl dodged to the right and lashed out with a side-kick, striking Alexander in the gut. He grunted and held his ground, feinting to the right, then quickly flicking Kaido to the left. Maka blocked with her weapon's handle, then unleashed a flurry of swiped and jabs with her scythe. Alexander blocked every swipe with skill, but couldn't manage to get an attack in. Suddenly he sensed an opening. A slight delay in her swing. He took his chances, and attacked. He could have sworn he saw a face in the scythe smirk, a flash of silver hair and the glint of maddeningly red eyes. He realized his mistake too late. His opponent quickly changed directions, bringing the handle up hard into Alexander's gut. He dropped, gasping for air, when a boot slammed into his jaw. Bone crunched when he hit the ground, then blood oozed through his teeth. The noise of the two strong souls combined threatened to overpower his consciousness, but he struggled to hold on. Kaido yelled in worry, "Get up! Come on! FIGHT!" Alexander tried to stagger to his feet, but could rise no further than his knees. The long months of combat, coupled with the exhaustion brought on from the receding madness of the Kishin Asura, caught up with him in one fell swoop. He looked up slowly, and laid his sword down to his side.

"Kaido….run. Leave me. I have failed you, and deserve to die here. Let the noise take me." The blade was silent for a moment, then flashed into his human form. He stepped between his owner and the couple he had lost to. "Afraid I can't do that, Alex. If you go, I go." He adopted a defensive posture, but was quickly brought to the ground by a sweep of a scythe. "Damn…little rusty on my human form…" Alexander coughed up blood and stared into the blonde girl's eyes, defiance showing fiercely through. "Kill me then…do it. Take my 'evil' soul and destroy it. That's why you're here, right? To purge our evil from the world? Tch…just finish it…" he looked down and waited for the blow that would end his life, silently apologizing to Kaido for failing him. A long moment passed where he heard nothing but the buzzing of souls followed, but the blow never came. Instead, he felt his gloved hands be clasped behind his back, and the girl hauled him up to his feet. Her scythe was now a young male, the silver hair and red eyes looked him over, but not for long. The red-eyed boy hauled Kaido to his feet, and cuffed him in a similar fashion. Maka glanced at him for a moment, and whispered sadly, "we aren't here to kill you…that's for Lord Death to decide. A fallen Meister like you must face his judgement alone…" Alexander felt a small jab in his soul at the tone of her voice. What was that..? Pity? Regret? Disgust?...He was unsure. Who was this girl, exactly? He contemplated his fate as they were lead away, and loaded into an Academy transport van. In the distance, the sounds of combat faded as the Arachnophobia facility was detonated by placed charges. Kaido looked at him from across the seats and gave a sarcastic, false smile. "Hey…at least we aren't dead" Alexander sighed and looked away, and muttered, "We might be better off that way…"


	2. The Swordsman's Gift

_After the battle at the Arachnophobia base, Alexander and Kaido were taken prisoner. When they arrived at Death City, they were marched through the streets until they reached Death Meister Weapon Academy, were they were imprisoned…what fate will become of them now?_

 _Chapter 2-The Swordsman's Gift: A second chance at life?_

"Traitor. Monster. Murderer" These words echoed through Alexander's head as he sat alone in a dark cell. Even though most of Death City's citizens were quiet, he could feel the hate in their souls. It had overwhelmed him, made him reel in pain. Never before had he experienced such a large degree of hate. It was rivaled only by Ashura's madness in potency. Alexander sighed and stared at the blank wall ahead of him. He wished the girl had just ended his life instead of bringing him here. The buzzing of souls, distant but constant, was enough to drive him mad. He would have chewed his own nails off if he had the guts to remove his gloves. He would never do that, though. It was too risky. Alexander was broken from his reverie as he felt a soul moving closer. It was powerful, yet familiar…the girl. What did she want? The door swung open with a mighty creak, and weak candlelight poured in. The girl spoke in a monotone fashion, "get up…and follow me. Don't try anything."

Alexander stared at her for a moment, mostly trying to discern what she was feeling. However, this one was good at hiding her soul's true thoughts, and he soon decided to comply. At least for now. He rose to his feet and allowed himself to be cuffed and led down twisting corridors to another barren room, save a table with three chairs in the center. He was placed in the lone chair against the wall, while Maka took another. Shortly afterwards, the red-eyed boy from before joined her. They both stared at him for a good while, unsure of how to proceed. The noise from their souls was great; the stronger or closer a soul, the louder the buzzing became. With two strong souls this close, Alexander started to feel light-headed, and the sound started to swell to a crescendo until he couldn't even think. "…Up…" he muttered unknowingly. The red-eyed boy cocked and eyebrow, "excuse me?" he said. "Shut. Up. Shutup. Shutupshutupshutup!" Alexander shouted, covering his ears and squeezing his eyes shut. Soul just stared in shock and anger, while Maka seemed to try to understand. Suddenly, the noise dimmed, if only by a little. Alexander could think now. Could breathe. He opened his eyes slowly and stared at the souls of the pair in front of him…ah…the girl had roped her soul's power in…perhaps even dimmed the presence of it…a kindness? Or an experiment? She opened her mouth a few times, trying to start a phrase, but failed. Soul did not. He leaned forward angrily and snapped, "What the hell is wrong with you!? You kill our friends, fight your own kind, and then have the nerve to tell us to shut up!? Who do you think you are!?" Soul pushed his chair out and stood, leaning dangerously close to Alexander. "Well!? Answer me dammit!" Alexander maintained his silence, trying to dull the pain of Soul's anger pulsing from within. Maka reached out and tugged at Soul's jacket. "Hey, come on Soul….stop it. We won't get answers from him this way…please?" The silver haired boy smoldered silently for a minute, then huffed loudly and plopped back into his seat. "Fine Maka. You do this." The girl looked relieved, then turned to face Alexander. "What's your name..? I'm Maka Albarn, and this is my partner Soul Eater." Alexander sat stone faced for a moment, then replied hoarsely, "Alexander….Alexander Andrews." Maka gave a small smile, a false smile, and reached her right hand out to him. A handshake? Alexander stared at her hand suspiciously, and didn't move. She appeared hurt for a moment, then seemed to have a revelation. "Ah…how rude, I should have taken my glove off, here, is that better?" She removed her white glove from her hand and stuck it out again. Alexander instinctively recoiled in fear and shouted, "NO! DON'T TOUCH ME!" he tried to back up but stumbled, tripping over the table and collapsing to the floor. Maka jumped up and ran over, trying to pull him back up. In the process, her bare hand brushed across his cheek and then-

 _Memories. A father. A mother. Division? Trust issues…pianos…red-eyes glaring, madness….friendship, truth, honor, loyalty….weapon? Kindness, earnest, blood…loneliness_

The sequence ended abruptly, and Alexander was distantly aware that someone was screaming. It sounded strangely like him. Shortly afterwards, he remembered nothing.

Alexander awoke a few minutes later in an unfamiliar room. The sky was overhead…tombstones surrounded him…a large mirror took up the center of the room. On a throne near the mirror, sat a young boy. His hair was black with white stripes, and at his side were two girls of the same age. They all seemed to be judging him. The boy stood and approached him, and cleared his voice. "Mr. Andrews, you have quite a lot to answer for. Murder. Betraying the Academy. Siding with witches. What do you say to that?" Alexander struggled to speak, his voice hoarse from the screaming. "I will…not make excuses for my actions…where was the Academy when I needed them? They damned me…I am a monster born of your sins…not mine." The boy stared down at him in disdain, "You do know who you speak to, correct? I am Death the Kid, the new Reaper. Your judgement." Alexander stiffened slightly, realizing how deathly quiet the room was. No souls were here….just emptiness. Death the Kid snapped, and the two girls materialized as pistols in his hand. One pointed directly to his temple, the other…at Kaido. The sword looked sullenly at his meister, his topknot messily undone, causing his hair to fall shaggily down his face. "Now…choose which of you lives, and which dies." Alexander's eyes widened, and he began looking for a way out. No way to run. He can't fight. Kaido…no…he can't die here. Before he could speak, Kaido said, "me. Kill me. Let my meister live." Alexander looked in shock at Kaido and protested, "No! You can't die here! Please, Reaper, take my life, not his!" Death the Kid stared in surprise. "You would both die…? I offer each of you a life in exchange for the other and you both choose death? How…admirable." The Reaper pushed the guns closer to the pair and stared them down. "I will grant your wish then." Kid applied pressure to the trigger, while the pair both closed their eyes and awaited oblivion.

Suddenly, the door to the Death Room burst open and Maka ran in, shouting, "KID WAIT!" Kid halted suddenly, surprised at the outburst, while Alexander braced himself for the soul noise that was about to batter him, but he was caught off guard when only a slight wave hit him. She was dimming her soul again...why? "Maka? What is the meaning of this?" Kid asked quickly, panic slightly tinging his voice. The girl panted and tried to speak between gasps, "Please….don't do this…I saw their souls…they're untainted! They didn't absorb any human souls! They can be saved!" Kid stared at the girl, then at the pair. "You think they deserve to be spared after what they did to your fellow meisters? And who will watch them, you? Like you did with Crona? They are a THREAT to us all! You know what that sword can do!" Maka marched up to Kid and defiantly stared him down. "Trust me on this Kid…I saw something…when I touched him. I saw his mind, his thoughts…he didn't want to hurt the ones he did. He is incredibly sensitive to souls, so much that the mere presence can create a static soul wave. The stronger the soul, the more chaotic and loud the wave. It causes him to black out…and touching him allows his soul to connect to others…he can be saved. Kid please…" Alexander stared at the girl, feeling a strange tug of emotion in his heart. What….why was she protecting them? What did she have to gain? Kid struggled over the conflicting emotions, then finally relented. He lowered the guns and sighed. "Fine….but you watch them. They are assigned to your home, with you and Soul. They are not to be left alone until we know they can be trusted. If I find out that you break this….then I will have no choice but to execute them. Do you understand me?" Maka nodded quickly and gave a smile of relief at the Reaper, then turned to the two captives and gave another brief smile. Kaido stared in shock at her, and Alexander felt another twinge of emotion. What was this girl? Why risk so much for strangers who had killed her comrades?

Maka reached down to Kaido and uncuffed him, and helped him to his feet. Kaido stared in shock for a moment longer then bowed deeply and said hesitantly, "T-thank you Miss…for sparing my meister." The girl blushed lightly and stammered, "Y-you don't have to be so formal…" The girl turned towards Alexander and stared down at him, her emerald eyes conveying mixed emotions that he couldn't quite grasp. She silently undid his cuffs and offered a gloved hand down to help him up. Alexander just stood on his own and stared back at her, or more accurately down at her, as he was slightly taller than her. She huffed and retracted her hand and stared right back at him boldly. "….thank you." Alexander said softly, then turned his back to her. "Well….follow me to your new homes then…" the girl said as she walked past the pair. She halted for a moment and whispered, "You're not as evil as you think you are…." Then continued on her way, meeting with the boy known as Soul outside the Death Room, where she explained the situation. He was none too pleased with the situation but after a lot of yelling and a book to the skull, he begrudgingly agreed. Kaido sidled up to Alexander and began to speak, "Hey…about what happened back there…" Alexander held a hand up and shook his head, "Stop. You saved me more than once, and I saved you. You don't have to say anything. We're cool." He gently patted Kaido on the shoulder with a gloved hand and walked ahead. Kaido stood still for a moment, surprised at the show of affection. "He rarely does something like that…" he thought. Shaking his head, he jogged to catch up, wondering at their future.


End file.
